BORCULO, MI â€" Michigan's first alternative energy fueling station is coming to a contaminated site that once held a traditional service station.
Borculo Fuel Services, LLC, an affiliate of Zeeland Farm Services, Inc., will build an "Anew" station and convenience store that will offer customers four types of ethanol-blended fuel options.
The options will include regular E-10 gasoline, E-15 approved for vehicles built in 2001 or newer, an E-30 blend and an E-85 blend for flex fuel vehicles.
Anew will invest more than $2.4 million to remove contaminated soil and groundwater from the property and build the fueling station with a 3,070-square-foot convenience store.
"Ottawa County is where we wanted to invest in our flagship facility, selling fuel made from grain grown and processed in West Michigan while reducing vehicle air emissions," said Beth Westemeyer, vice president of operations for Anew, in a July 30 news release.
When the project is complete, it will create two full-time and 10 part-time jobs. Anew hopes to build additional alternative energy fueling stations over the next several years, Westemeyer said.
Ethanol-blended fuel offers more than 40 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions, increased octane, lower cost, the news release said. The fuel will came from feedstock grown and processed in West Michigan.
The new station and convenience store will be built on the southeast corner of 96th Avenue and Port Sheldon Road, a contaminated site that previously was home to a gas station and several previous industrial uses.
As a "brownfield site," the Ottawa County Board of Commissioners approved tax increment financing (TIF) benefits on Tuesday, June 28, that will help clean up the site and prepare it for construction.
The TIF benefits will allow Anew to be reimbursed $318,354 for eligible site remediation activity costs. The reimbursement dollars will be captured from the increase in taxable value of the property as a result of Anew's redevelopment.
The Blendon Township board also approved a resolution in support of the redevelopment project at its July 16 meeting.
"Ottawa County and Blendon Township are excited that Anew has selected this site to construct its first alternative energy fueling station in Michigan" said David C. Miller, chair of the Ottawa County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.
"It is very likely that this property would have remained vacant and contaminated for many more years if Anew had not stepped in to clean up and redevelop the site."
The Ottawa County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority also approved $31,000 in EPA grant funds in December 2014 to conduct environmental site assessments on the property.
Jim Harger covers business for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at jharger@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter or Facebook or Google+.
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